Modular ultrasonic transducers and frame

ABSTRACT

Apparatuses, systems, and techniques are provided for modular ultrasonic transducers and frame. An ultrasonic transducer array may include a modular ultrasonic transducer array frame. The modular ultrasonic transducer array frame may include mechanisms for the attachment of ultrasonic transducer modules to the ultrasonic transducer array frame. The ultrasonic transducer array may include ultrasonic transducer modules which may include arrays of ultrasonic transducer elements within the ultrasonic transducer modules. Two of the ultrasonic transducer modules may include arrays of ultrasonic transducer elements where the ultrasonic transducer elements are different between the two ultrasonic transducer modules.

BACKGROUND

Ultrasonic transducers may have a number of different uses, anddifferent types of ultrasonic transducers may be more suitable for usein different situations. Some situations may benefit from a mix of typesof ultrasonic transducers. Creating an array of ultrasonic transducersmay be difficult when the array uses a mix of different types ofultrasonic transducers.

BRIEF SUMMARY

According to an implementation of the disclosed subject matter, amodular ultrasonic transducer array frame may include mechanisms for theattachment of ultrasonic transducer modules to the ultrasonic transducerarray frame. The ultrasonic transducer array may include ultrasonictransducer modules which may include arrays of ultrasonic transducerelements within the ultrasonic transducer modules. Two of or more of theultrasonic transducer modules may include arrays of ultrasonictransducer elements where the ultrasonic transducer elements aredifferent between the two or more ultrasonic transducer modules.

Additional features, advantages, and implementations of the disclosedsubject matter may be set forth or apparent from consideration of thefollowing detailed description, drawings, and claims. Moreover, it is tobe understood that both the foregoing summary and the following detaileddescription provide examples of implementations and are intended toprovide further explanation without limiting the scope of the claims.

FIG. 1 shows an example ultrasonic transducer array according to animplementation of the disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 2 shows an example ultrasonic transducer array according to animplementation of the disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 3 shows example ultrasonic transducer modules according to animplementation of the disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 4 shows an example ultrasonic transducer array frame according toan implementation of the disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 5 shows an example ultrasonic transducer module according to animplementation of the disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 6 shows an example ultrasonic transducer array and cooling fluidchamber according to an implementation of the disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 7 shows a computer according to an embodiment of the disclosedsubject matter.

FIG. 8 shows a network configuration according to an embodiment of thedisclosed subject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the disclosed subject matter, are incorporated in andconstitute a part of this specification. The drawings also illustrateimplementations of the disclosed subject matter and together with thedetailed description serve to explain the principles of implementationsof the disclosed subject matter. No attempt is made to show structuraldetails in more detail than may be necessary for a fundamentalunderstanding of the disclosed subject matter and various ways in whichit may be practiced.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Ultrasonic transducers of varying types may be built with a commoninterface to the drive and receive electronics of the ultrasonictransducers to create ultrasonic transducer modules. There may be anumber of different types of ultrasonic transducers, such as, forexample lead zirconate titanate (PZT) transducers, piezoelectricmicromachined ultrasonic transducers (PMUTs), capacitive micromachinedultrasonic transducers (CMUTs), and single crystal transducers. Eachtype of ultrasonic transducer may have drive and/or receive electronicsthat may be different from the drive and/or receive electronics of othertypes of ultrasonic transducers. The different types of ultrasonictransducers may be built into an ultrasonic transducer module with asingle type of electronics interface. This electronics interface may bea common interface among ultrasonic transducer modules that each includedifferent types of ultrasonic transducer elements. This may allow a mixof different types of ultrasonic transducers to be used in ultrasonictransducer arrays of varying sizes and orientations. Some ultrasonictransducer may have only drive electronics, and some ultrasonictransducers may have only receive electronics.

The common interface may provide an electrical or optical connectionthrough which electrical or optical signals may be provided to the driveand receive electronics that control the operation of ultrasonictransducers in the ultrasonic transducer module from an outside sourcein order to control, operate and power the ultrasonic transducer, andthrough which electrical or optical signals may be carried out of theultrasonic transducer module from the drive and receive electronics. Thecommon interface may allow electrical connections to be daisy chainedbetween ultrasonic transducer modules, or the common interface may allowfor an electrical connection between ultrasonic transducer modules and acommon backplane, which may be rigid or flexible. The common interfacemay also allow for the cooling fluids to be distributed to theultrasonic transducer modules through a daisy chain, or for theultrasonic transducer modules to be directly connected to a remotemanifold. The common interface may, for example, include a first andsecond connection points at different locations on an ultrasonic module.The first and second connection points may be, for example, intake andexit ports which may also allow the circulation of fluids through daisychained ultrasonic transducer modules. The first and second connectionpoints may be located at any suitable location an ultrasonic transducermodule. For example, a first connection point may be located on one sideof an ultrasonic transducer module while the second connection point maybe located on a different side, such as the opposite side. An ultrasonictransducer module may optionally include additional connection pointswhich may provide flexibility when connecting ultrasonic transducermodules together to form a daisy chain. Connection points may allow anultrasonic transducer module to be connected to another ultrasonictransducer module that uses the common interface and include connectionpoints. The connection points may allow for a physical coupling ofultrasonic transducer modules, for example, attaching ultrasonictransducer modules to each other mechanically while allowing for thepassing of electrical or optical signals and the circulation of fluidsbetween ultrasonic transducer modules, or may be contact-basedconnection points that allow for the passing of electrical or opticalsignals between ultrasonic transducer modules but do not physicallyattach the ultrasonic transducer modules to each other. Thermal shuntsmay be provided between the ultrasonic modules, which may allowultrasonic transducer modules to be packed close together, creating ahigher density of ultrasonic transducer modules, while allowing removalof heat from the ends and sides.

The ultrasonic transducer modules may be of any suitable size and shape.Different ultrasonic transducers may be used to create ultrasonictransducer modules of the same size and shape, or the size and shape ofan ultrasonic transducer module may be different depending on the typeof ultrasonic transducer used in the ultrasonic transducer module. Anultrasonic transducer module may include any number of individualultrasonic transducer elements. For example, a single ultrasonictransducer module may be an array of ultrasonic transducers of aparticular type, and different ultrasonic transducer modules may usedifferent types of ultrasonic transducer elements. A housing of anultrasonic transducer module may be made of any suitable material, andmay have connection points implemented in any suitable manner, includingthrough the shape of the housing, the addition of mechanical componentsto the housing, or vias in the surface of the housing that allow forelectrical or optical connections to be passed from the outside of thehousing to the inside of the housing.

The ultrasonic transducer modules may be assembled into a frame that maydefine the physical position of the ultrasonic transducer modules inspace to create an ultrasonic transducer array. The frame may becustomized based on the intended use of the ultrasonic transducer array,allowing for ultrasonic transducer arrays of various sizes,three-dimensional shapes, and orientations. The ultrasonic transducersmay, for example, have square, hexagonal, or rectangular profiles, orprofiles of any suitable shape, and may have any suitablethree-dimensional shape. The ultrasonic transducers of the ultrasonictransducer modules may be optimized for different frequency output,steering/directivity, and/or power output. Ultrasonic transducers withdifferent ultrasonic transducer types may be mixed in the same frame,creating a blended ultrasonic transducer array that may be optimized fora particular function or use. For example, an ultrasonic transducerarray may be optimized for shear wave imaging or ablative therapy withintegrated imaging for guidance and therapy progression tracking.

Ultrasonic transducer modules and frames may be used to create largeultrasonic transducer arrays that may be invariant in resolution againstdepth. For example, a frame may include a small array of ultrasonictransducer modules with high frequency transducers surrounded by anarray of ultrasonic transducer modules with lower frequency transducersfor achieving penetration, and which may be surrounded in turn by alarger array of ultrasonic transducer modules with lower frequencytransducers to allow the ultrasonic transducer array to achieve anappropriate maximum penetration depth. The ultrasonic transducer modulesin the ultrasonic transducer array may be of different sizes and shapes,and may be arranged in any suitable patterns. For example, ultrasonictransducer modules may be arranged in concentric rings, which each ringincluding ultrasonic transducer modules with ultrasonic transducers of aspecific type, or may be arranged in halves, quadrants, checkerboardpatterns, or any other suitable pattern. Increasing the active area ofthe ultrasonic transducer array while maintaining all other parametermay improve the resolution of the ultrasonic transducer array. Thenumber of ultrasonic transducer modules with ultrasonic transducers foreach frequency array may increase to maintain the effective spatialresolution at target depth. Individual ultrasonic transducer modules mayinclude more than one ultrasonic transducer.

The frame may include any suitable mechanism for the connection orattachment of ultrasonic transducer modules to the frame. For example,the frame may include slots into which the ultrasonic transducer modulesmay be inserted and held in place, for example, through friction fittingor through other mechanisms. The ultrasonic transducer modules may beattached to the frame through mechanical connections formed by parts ofthe frame and parts of the housings of the ultrasonic transducermodules. In some implementations, the frame may include a backplane towhich the ultrasonic transducer modules may be attached and to which thecommon interface of the ultrasonic transducer modules may be connected,allowing for drive and receive signals to be transmitted to theultrasonic transducer elements of the ultrasonic transducer modules.

A software component of an ultrasonic controller system may be used withan ultrasonic transducer array to allow an ultrasonic controller systemto know the position of the ultrasonic transducer modules, andindividual ultrasonic transducers, in time and space. For example, theultrasonic controller system may run on any suitable computing devicethat may be part of, or connected to the ultrasonic transducer array andmay control the operation of the ultrasonic transducers in theultrasonic transducer modules. The ultrasonic controller system may usea general-purpose processor or may use a special processor or otherelectronics.

The location of an ultrasonic transducer module in space may be given bya six degrees of freedom vector, [x,y,z], plus rotations relative to acommon reference frame. The electrical propagation delay for the signalpaths for the ultrasonic transducer array may be calculated based on theelectrical propagation of signals in wires and the architecture of theultrasonic transducer array. For any two components, one of which is anultrasonic receiver at position [0,0,0] and the second of which is atransmitting ultrasonic transducer module at position [X,Y,Z], theelectrical propagation delays to each of these components may becalculated based on the electro mechanical design of the ultrasonictransducer array. Knowing the rotation of the ultrasonic transducermodule may allow for transmit beam and receive directional cone to belocated in space. A pulse transmitted from the transmitting ultrasonictransducer module and received by the receiver will have a propagationdelay of:Time-of—Electrical-propagation-computer-to-transmitter+Time-of-acoustic-propagation-through-medium+Time-of-propagation-receiver-to-computer.The distance between the transmitting ultrasonic transducer andultrasonic receiver may be calculated based on the speed of propagationof sound through the medium. If a second ultrasonic receiver is used ata different position the position of the transmitting ultrasonictransducer module can be further resolved. Two transmitting ultrasonictransducer modules and multiple ultrasonic receivers may be used to moreefficiently calculate the positions of the ultrasonic receivers.

The time component of the location of an ultrasonic transducer modulemay be based on the propagation delay for electrical signals in reachingthe ultrasonic transducer of an ultrasonic transducer module and theacoustic propagation delay associated with each ultrasonic transducer.Given a fixed reference frame within the ultrasonic transducer array,the ultrasonic transducer modules may be dynamically manipulated toalter their positions. The ultrasonic transducer modules may berepositioned electrically, electromechanically, hydraulically, ormechanically.

Ultrasonic transducer modules may be mechanically displaced whengenerating pulses of high energy ultrasonic waves, as used in someimaging and therapy modalities, such as acoustic radiation force imaging(ARFI) or high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU). The frame for theultrasonic transducer array may be a smart frame that may have embeddedsensors, such as strain gauges, which may allow for measurement of andcompensation for unintended movement of the ultrasonic transducermodules. The absolute displacement of ultrasonic transducer modulesrelative to a target surface may also be measured using, for example,laser interferometers or linear variable differential transformer (LVDT)sensors. Displacement may also be determined without sensors, forexample, by using an analytical model that may describe the displacementof ultrasonic transducer modules within the frame for a given pulse ofhigh energy ultrasound, or by using a look up table that may correlatepulses of high energy ultrasound, for example, by energy level, with thedisplacement they cause in ultrasonic transducer modules.

The ultrasonic transducer modules and the frame may include identifiablefiducials. The fiducials may allow the positions of the ultrasonictransducer modules to be accurately registered in other imagingmodalities, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computedtomography (CT). Fiducials may be positioned on any suitable surface ofa frame or an ultrasonic transducer module, including outer and innersurfaces. The fiducials may also be used to code unique properties oridentifiers for each ultrasonic transducer module of the ultrasonictransducer array. Ultrasonic transducer modules of different shapes mayuse differently shaped fiducials or may be encoded with a transducertype pattern. The fiducial shape or pattern may be resolvable by variousimaging modalities, such as magnetic resonance (MR) or CT. One fiducialcan be placed on an ultrasonic transducer module to indicate thelocation of the Zero Element of ultrasonic transducer module. The ZeroElement may be, for example, an ultrasonic transducer element that isconsidered to be located at the position [0,0] on the array of theultrasonic transducers in the ultrasonic transducer module. Someultrasonic transducer module shapes may allow for multiple orientations.Knowledge of one fiducial of an ultrasonic transducer module and of thetransducer type may allow for determination of the orientation of theultrasonic transducer module. Second and third fiducials on theultrasonic transducer module may allow for confirmation of theorientation of the ultrasonic transducer module, increase the accuracyof the determination of the location and orientation of the ultrasonictransducer module, and provide redundancy for failed fiducials. Apattern may be placed into a fiducial that may be resolvable by imaginga one-dimensional line pattern, such as a bar code, or a two-dimensionalpattern, such as a QR code. The pattern may provide additionalinformation about the ultrasonic transducer module, such as, forexample, a part number. An ultrasonic transducer module may also includean embedded RFID tag that may provide additional information about theultrasonic transducer.

Fiducials may also be placed on a frame. For example, a fiducial on aframe may mark the location of the ultrasonic transducer module thatserves as the zero module. The zero module may be the ultrasonictransducer module that is considered to be located at [0,0] in the arrayof ultrasonic transducer modules. Additional fiducials may be added to aframe to allow for more accurate determination of the orientation of theframe. If the frame is flexible, additional fiducials may be added tothe movable sections of the frame so that shape of the frame may bedetermined based on the locations of the fiducials. The fiducials on theframe may be in addition to fiducials on the ultrasonic transducermodules, which may also be used to determine the shape of a flexibleframe.

In some implementations, a cooling fluid chamber may be used in front ofor surrounding the front portion of the ultrasonic transducer array. Thecooling fluid may be, for example, water. The cooling fluid chamber mayhave a membrane across its front that may be in contact with the targetof the ultrasonic waves and may pass ultrasonic energy to the target.The membrane may be coated, for example, with planar graphite ordiamond-like carbon (DLC), or any other suitable highly thermallyconductive material which may allow for dispersal of surface hot spots.The coating may also act as an RF shield, which may improve thesignal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the ultrasonic transducer array bykeeping out unwanted RF energy and/or preventing emissions of RF energyfrom the ultrasonic transducer array. The frame of the ultrasonictransducer array may also be coated with a material similar to thematerial used to coat the membrane, allowing for similar reductions inRF interference. The depth of the cooling fluid chamber may beadjustable, allowing for the gap between the target and front of theultrasonic transducer array to be tuned, which may disguise gaps betweenthe ultrasonic transducer modules. This may allow better imaging withthe ultrasonic transducer array that uses ultrasonic transducer moduleswhile also allowing the ultrasonic transducer array to be positionedclose to the surface target in situations where close coupling isdesired. In some implementations, cooling fluid may be circulatedthrough the ultrasonic transducer array in order to cool the ultrasonictransducer elements and electronics.

The use of ultrasonic transducer modules may allow for techniques fromadaptive optics to be used with ultrasonic transducer arrays, includingultrasonic transducer array that may be part of imaging and therapysystems.

FIG. 1 shows an example ultrasonic transducer array according to animplementation of the disclosed subject matter. An ultrasonic transducerarray 100 may include different ultrasonic transducer types in the formof ultrasonic transducer modules, assembled into a frame. The ultrasonictransducer modules 110 may include low frequency ultrasonic transducers.Each of the ultrasonic transducer modules 110 may include an array ofany suitable size and shape of ultrasonic transducer elements designedto operate at low frequencies. The ultrasonic transducer modules 120 mayinclude medium frequency ultrasonic transducers. Each of the ultrasonictransducer modules 120 may include an array of any suitable size andshape of ultrasonic transducer elements designed to operate at mediumfrequencies. The ultrasonic transducer modules 130 may include highfrequency ultrasonic transducers. Each of the ultrasonic transducermodules 130 may include an array of any suitable size and shape ofultrasonic transducer elements designed to operate at high frequencies.

The ultrasonic transducer array 100 may be constructed using a frame.The frame may accommodate the ultrasonic transducer modules, such as theultrasonic transducer modules 110, 120, and 130. The frame may, forexample, include a number of slots into which the ultrasonic transducermodules 110, 120, and 130 may be inserted, or may include any othersuitable mechanism for allowing the ultrasonic transducer modules 110,120, and 130 to be connected or otherwise attached to the frame and heldin position during operation of ultrasonic transducer array 100.

FIG. 2 shows an example ultrasonic transducer array according to animplementation of the disclosed subject matter. The ultrasonictransducer modules 110 that include low frequency ultrasonic transducersmay generate low frequency ultrasonic waves 210. The ultrasonictransducer modules 120 that include medium frequency ultrasonictransducers may generate medium frequency ultrasonic wave 220. Theultrasonic transducer modules 130 that include high frequency ultrasonictransducers may generate high frequency ultrasonic waves 230.

FIG. 3 shows example ultrasonic transducer modules according to animplementation of the disclosed subject matter. An ultrasonic transducermodule 300 may include a common interface, which may include an intakeport 310 and an exit port 320 for the intake and exit of a cooling fluid370, such as water, to and from the ultrasonic transducer module 300.The intake port 310 may connect to the exit port of another ultrasonictransducer module, allowing for the flow of the cooling fluid 370 fromone ultrasonic transducer module to another in a daisy-chain pattern.The ultrasonic transducer module 300 may also include connections 350and 360, which may be used to physically connect the ultrasonictransducer module 300 to other ultrasonic transducer modules, and mayalso provide the electrical or optical connection of the commoninterface through which drive and receive signals from an ultrasoniccontroller system may be distributed to control the ultrasonictransducer element of the ultrasonic transducer modules. The ultrasonictransducer module 330 may be at the end of the daisy chain of ultrasonictransducer modules, and may include an exit port 340 that may connect tothe frame of the ultrasonic transducer array.

FIG. 4 shows an example ultrasonic transducer array frame according toan implementation of the disclosed subject matter. A modular ultrasonictransducer array frame 400 may define the physical position of theultrasonic transducer modules in space to create an ultrasonictransducer array. The modular ultrasonic transducer array frame 400 may,for example, include a number of slots, such a slot 420, that may beconstructed to accept the insertion of an ultrasonic transducer module,such as the ultrasonic transducer module 300. The arrangement of theslots in the modular ultrasonic transducer array frame 400 may definethe physical positions of the ultrasonic transducer modules, such as theultrasonic transducer module 300.

The modular ultrasonic transducer array frame 400 may be customizedbased on the intended use of the ultrasonic transducer array createdusing the frame. The modular ultrasonic transducer array frame 400 mayallow for ultrasonic transducer arrays of various sizes,three-dimensional shapes, and orientations. The ultrasonic transducersof the ultrasonic transducer modules, such as the ultrasonic transducermodule 300, used with the modular ultrasonic transducer frame 400 may beoptimized for different frequency output, steering/directivity, and/orpower output. Ultrasonic transducers with different ultrasonictransducer types may be mixed in the same modular ultrasonic transducerarray frame 400, for example, with ultrasonic modules having differentultrasonic transducer types being inserted into different slots of themodular ultrasonic transducer array frame 400, creating a blendedultrasonic transducer array that may be optimized for a particularfunction or use. For example, an ultrasonic transducer array may beoptimized for shear wave imaging or ablative therapy with integratedimaging for guidance and therapy progression tracking.

Ultrasonic transducer modules and modular ultrasonic transducer arrayframes, such as the modular ultrasonic transducer array frame 400, maybe used to create large ultrasonic transducer arrays that may beinvariant in resolution against depth. For example, the modularultrasonic transducer array frame 400 may include a small array ofultrasonic transducer modules with high frequency transducers surroundedby an array of ultrasonic transducer modules with lower frequencytransducers for achieving penetration, and which may be surrounded inturn by a larger array of ultrasonic transducer modules with lowerfrequency transducers to allow the ultrasonic transducer array toachieve an appropriate maximum penetration depth. The ultrasonictransducer modules in the ultrasonic transducer array may be ofdifferent sizes and shapes, and may be arranged in any suitablepatterns. For example, ultrasonic transducer modules may be arranged inconcentric rings or patterns approximating rings, which each ringincluding ultrasonic transducer modules with ultrasonic transducers of aspecific type, or may be arranged in halves, quadrants, checkerboardpatterns, or any other suitable pattern. Increasing the active area ofthe ultrasonic transducer array while maintaining all other parametermay improve the resolution of the ultrasonic transducer array. Thenumber of ultrasonic transducer modules with ultrasonic transducers foreach frequency array may increase to maintain the effective spatialresolution at target depth. Individual ultrasonic transducer modules mayinclude more than one ultrasonic transducer.

The modular ultrasonic transducer array frame 400 may include fiducials,such as, for example, fiducials 402, 404, 406, 408, 410, 412, and 414.The fiducials 402, 404, 406, 408, 410, 412, and 414 may be, for example,bar codes or a two-dimensional patterns, such as a QR code, and all maybe unique on the modular ultrasonic transducer array 400. For example,the fiducial 414 on the modular ultrasonic transducer array 400 framemay mark the location of the ultrasonic transducer module that serves asthe zero module. The zero module may be the ultrasonic transducer modulethat is considered to be located at [0,0] in the array of ultrasonictransducer modules of the modular ultrasonic transducer array 400.Additional fiducials may be added to a frame to allow for more accuratedetermination of the orientation of the frame. For example, thefiducials 402, 404, 406, 408, 410, and 412 may all be used to markspecific sections of the modular ultrasonic transducer array 400 toallow for the determination of the location and orientation of themodular ultrasonic transducer array 400. The fiducials 402, 404, 406,and 408 may, for example, mark sections of the front of the modularultrasonic transducer array 400, and may allow for the rotation of themodular ultrasonic transducer array 400 to be determined relative to,for example, a camera or scanner that is pointed at the front of themodular ultrasonic transducer array 400. The fiducials 410 and 412 maymark sections of the sides of the modular ultrasonic transducer array400, and may be used by a camera or scanner to further determine theorientation of the modular ultrasonic transducer array 400 relative tothe camera or scanner.

FIG. 5 shows an example ultrasonic transducer module according to animplementation of the disclosed subject matter. An ultrasonic transducermodule 500 may be a module that includes an array of ultrasonictransducers. The ultrasonic transducer module 500 may be designed to befit in to a frame, such as the modular ultrasonic transducer array frame400, for example, in the slot 300. The ultrasonic transducer module 500may include any number of fiducials, which may be, for example, barcodes, QR codes, or other two-dimensional codes placed on sections ofthe ultrasonic transducer module 500 to allow for the ultrasonictransducer module 500 to be located and its orientation to bedetermined. For example, a fiducial 502 may mark the location of theZero Element of the ultrasonic transducer module 500. The Zero Elementmay be, for example, an ultrasonic transducer element that is consideredto be located at the position [0,0] on the array of the ultrasonictransducers in the ultrasonic transducer module 500. Knowledge of thelocation of the Zero Element may be used by, for example, a ultrasoniccontroller system when generating signals to control the ultrasonictransducer elements of the ultrasonic transducer module 500. Thefiducial 502 may appear on a top side 501 of the ultrasonic transducermodule 500, which may be visible when the ultrasonic transducer module500 is inserted into a frame such as the module ultrasonic transducerarray frame 400. Fiducials 504 and 506 may mark the side of theultrasonic transducer module 500, and fiducial 508 may mark a front endof the ultrasonic transducer module 500. The fiducials 504, 506, and 508may all be visible when the ultrasonic transducer module 500 is insertedinto a frame such as the modular ultrasonic transducer array frame 400.A ultrasonic controller system may be able to determine the orientationof the ultrasonic transducer module 500 based on locating any one of thefiducials 502, 504, 506, and 508, for example, using a camera or opticalscanner.

FIG. 6 shows an example ultrasonic transducer array and cooling fluidchamber according to an implementation of the disclosed subject matter.In some implementations, a cooling fluid chamber 604 may be used infront of or surrounding the front portion of an ultrasonic transducerarray 600. The ultrasonic transducer array 600 may be constructed using,for example, the modular ultrasonic transducer array frame 400 andultrasonic transducer modules such as, for example, the ultrasonictransducer modules 300 and 500. Ultrasonic transducers 602 may belocated at the front of the ultrasonic transducer array 600, forexample, being at the front of ultrasonic transducer modules. Thecooling fluid chamber 604 may include a cooling fluid, such as, forexample, water. The cooling fluid chamber 604 may have a membrane 606across its front that may be in contact with the target of theultrasonic waves and may pass ultrasonic energy to the target. Themembrane 606 may be coated, for example, with planar graphite ordiamond-like carbon (DLC), or any other suitable highly thermallyconductive material which may allow for dispersal of surface hot spots.The coating may also act as an RF shield, which may improve thesignal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the ultrasonic transducer array 600 bykeeping out unwanted RF energy. The frame of the ultrasonic transducerarray 600, for example, the modular ultrasonic transducer array frame400, may also be coated with a material similar to the material used tocoat the membrane 600, allowing for similar reductions in RFinterference. The depth of the cooling fluid chamber 604 may beadjustable, allowing for the gap between the target and front of theultrasonic transducer array 600 to be tuned, which may disguise gapsbetween the ultrasonic transducer modules of the ultrasonic transducerarray. This may allow better imaging with the ultrasonic transducerarray 600 that uses ultrasonic transducer modules, such as theultrasonic transducer modules 300 and 500, while also allowing theultrasonic transducer array 600 to be positioned close to the surfacetarget in situations where close coupling is desired. The cooling fluidchamber may be sealed around the ultrasonic transducer array 600 with aseal 608.

Embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter may be implementedin and used with a variety of component and network architectures. FIG.7 is an example computer system 20 suitable for implementing embodimentsof the presently disclosed subject matter. The computer 20 includes abus 21 which interconnects major components of the computer 20, such asone or more processors 24, memory 27 such as RAM, ROM, flash RAM, or thelike, an input/output controller 28, and fixed storage 23 such as a harddrive, flash storage, SAN device, or the like. It will be understoodthat other components may or may not be included, such as a user displaysuch as a display screen via a display adapter, user input interfacessuch as controllers and associated user input devices such as akeyboard, mouse, touchscreen, or the like, and other components known inthe art to use in or in conjunction with general-purpose computingsystems.

The bus 21 allows data communication between the central processor 24and the memory 27. The RAM is generally the main memory into which theoperating system and application programs are loaded. The ROM or flashmemory can contain, among other code, the Basic Input-Output system(BIOS) which controls basic hardware operation such as the interactionwith peripheral components. Applications resident with the computer 20are generally stored on and accessed via a computer readable medium,such as the fixed storage 23 and/or the memory 27, an optical drive,external storage mechanism, or the like.

Each component shown may be integral with the computer 20 or may beseparate and accessed through other interfaces. Other interfaces, suchas a network interface 29, may provide a connection to remote systemsand devices via a telephone link, wired or wireless local- or wide-areanetwork connection, proprietary network connections, or the like. Forexample, the network interface 29 may allow the computer to communicatewith other computers via one or more local, wide-area, or othernetworks, as shown in FIG. 8 .

Many other devices or components (not shown) may be connected in asimilar manner, such as document scanners, digital cameras, auxiliary,supplemental, or backup systems, or the like. Conversely, all of thecomponents shown in FIG. 7 need not be present to practice the presentdisclosure. The components can be interconnected in different ways fromthat shown. The operation of a computer such as that shown in FIG. 7 isreadily known in the art and is not discussed in detail in thisapplication. Code to implement the present disclosure can be stored incomputer-readable storage media such as one or more of the memory 27,fixed storage 23, remote storage locations, or any other storagemechanism known in the art.

FIG. 8 shows an example arrangement according to an embodiment of thedisclosed subject matter. One or more clients 10, 11, such as localcomputers, smart phones, tablet computing devices, remote services, andthe like may connect to other devices via one or more networks 7. Thenetwork may be a local network, wide-area network, the Internet, or anyother suitable communication network or networks, and may be implementedon any suitable platform including wired and/or wireless networks. Theclients 10, 11 may communicate with one or more computer systems, suchas processing units 14, databases 15, and user interface systems 13. Insome cases, clients 10, 11 may communicate with a user interface system13, which may provide access to one or more other systems such as adatabase table 15, a processing unit 14, or the like. For example, theuser interface 13 may be a user-accessible web page that provides datafrom one or more other computer systems. The user interface 13 mayprovide different interfaces to different clients, such as where ahuman-readable web page is provided to web browser clients 10, and acomputer-readable API or other interface is provided to remote serviceclients 11. The user interface 13, database table 15, and processingunits 14 may be part of an integral system, or may include multiplecomputer systems communicating via a private network, the Internet, orany other suitable network. Processing units 14 may be, for example,part of a distributed system such as a cloud-based computing system,search engine, content delivery system, or the like, which may alsoinclude or communicate with a database table 15 and/or user interface13. In some arrangements, an analysis system 5 may provide back-endprocessing, such as where stored or acquired data is pre-processed bythe analysis system 5 before delivery to the processing unit 14,database table 15, and/or user interface 13. For example, a machinelearning system 5 may provide various prediction models, data analysis,or the like to one or more other systems 13, 14, 15.

The foregoing description, for purpose of explanation, has beendescribed with reference to specific embodiments. However, theillustrative discussions above are not intended to be exhaustive or tolimit embodiments of the disclosed subject matter to the precise formsdisclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in view of theabove teachings. The embodiments were chosen and described in order toexplain the principles of embodiments of the disclosed subject matterand their practical applications, to thereby enable others skilled inthe art to utilize those embodiments as well as various embodiments withvarious modifications as may be suited to the particular usecontemplated.

The foregoing description, for purpose of explanation, has beendescribed with reference to specific embodiments. However, theillustrative discussions above are not intended to be exhaustive or tolimit embodiments of the disclosed subject matter to the precise formsdisclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in view of theabove teachings. The embodiments were chosen and described in order toexplain the principles of embodiments of the disclosed subject matterand their practical applications, to thereby enable others skilled inthe art to utilize those embodiments as well as various embodiments withvarious modifications as may be suited to the particular usecontemplated.

1. An ultrasonic transducer module comprising: an ultrasonic transducerarray comprising one or more ultrasonic transducer elements; each of theone or more ultrasonic transducers elements comprising electronics thatcontrol operation of the ultrasonic transducer elements; and a commoninterface of the ultrasonic transducer module connected to theelectronics that control operation of the ultrasonic transducerelements, wherein the common element provides signals from outside theultrasonic transducer module to the electronics that control operationof the ultrasonic transducer elements and provides signals from theelectronics that control operation of the ultrasonic transducer elementsto outside the ultrasonic transducer module.
 2. The ultrasonictransducer module of claim 1, further comprising a first connectionpoint for the common interface and a second connection point for thecommon interface, wherein the first connection point accommodatesconnection to a second ultrasonic transducer module and the secondconnection accommodates connection to a third ultrasonic transducermodule.
 3. The ultrasonic transducer module of claim 2, wherein thefirst connection point comprises an intake port and the secondconnection point comprises an exit port for the circulation of fluidthrough the ultrasonic transducer module.
 4. The ultrasonic transducermodule of claim 1, wherein the signals are electrical signals or opticalsignals.
 5. The ultrasonic transducer module of claim 1, wherein thesignals from outside the ultrasonic transducer module comprise controlsignals for the one or more ultrasonic transducer elements of theultrasonic transducer array and wherein the signals from the electronicsthat control the or more ultrasonic transducer elements comprise receivesignals from the ultrasonic transducer elements.
 6. The ultrasonictransducer module of claim 1, further comprising one or more fiducialson surfaces of the ultrasonic transducer module.
 7. The ultrasonictransducer module of claim 6, wherein at least one of the one or morefiducials marks the location of a zero element of the ultrasonictransducer array.
 8. An ultrasonic transducer array comprising: amodular ultrasonic transducer array frame comprising mechanisms for theattachment of ultrasonic transducer modules to the ultrasonic transducerarray frame; and two or more ultrasonic transducer modules, each of thetwo or more ultrasonic transducer modules comprising an array ofultrasonic transducer elements within the ultrasonic transducer module,at least two of the two or more ultrasonic transducer modules comprisingarrays of ultrasonic transducer elements wherein the ultrasonictransducer elements are different between the at least two of the two ormore ultrasonic transducer modules.
 9. The ultrasonic transducer arrayof claim 8, wherein the modular ultrasonic transducer array framecomprises one or more fiducials on surfaces of the modular ultrasonictransducer array frame.
 10. The ultrasonic transducer array of claim 9,wherein at least one of the one or more fiducials marks a zero module ofthe two or more ultrasonic transducer modules.
 11. The ultrasonictransducer array of claim 8, further comprising an ultrasonic controllersystem comprising a computing device and a device for detecting thefiducials, wherein the ultrasonic controller system generates controlsignals for the two or more ultrasonic transducer modules based ondetermining an orientation of the ultrasonic transducer modules andmodular ultrasonic transducer array frame through detecting one or moreof the fiducials using the device for detecting fiducials.
 12. Theultrasonic transducer array of claim 11, wherein the control signals arebased on electrical propagation delay for signal paths for the arrays ofultrasonic transducer elements of the two or more ultrasonic transducermodules.
 13. The ultrasonic transducer array of claim 10, wherein eachof the two or more ultrasonic transducer modules comprises one or moreconnection points for a common interface.
 14. The ultrasonic transducerarray of claim 13, wherein two of the two or more ultrasonic transducermodules are connected to each other at connection points of the commoninterfaces of the two of the two or more ultrasonic transducer modules.15. The ultrasonic transducer array of claim 13, wherein the modularultrasonic transducer array frame further comprises a backplane, andwherein two of the two or more ultrasonic transducer modules areconnected to the backplane at connections points of the commoninterfaces of the two of the two or more ultrasonic transducer modules.16. The ultrasonic transducer array of claim 13, wherein two of theconnection points on each of the two or more ultrasonic transducermodules comprise an intake port and exit port that accommodate thecirculation of fluid through two or more ultrasonic transducer modules.17. The ultrasonic transducer array of claim 8, further comprising acooling fluid chamber, wherein the modular ultrasonic transducer arrayframe and the two or more ultrasonic transducer modules are insertedinto the cooling fluid chamber.
 18. The ultrasonic transducer array ofclaim 8, wherein the modular ultrasonic transducer array frame comprisesa structure that defines the physical positions of the two or moreultrasonic transducer modules attached to the modular ultrasonictransducer array frame.
 19. The ultrasonic transducer array of claim 8,further comprising at least one additional ultrasonic transducer modulecomprising an arrays of ultrasonic transducer elements that differentfrom the ultrasonic transducer elements of the arrays of the at leasttwo of the two or more ultrasonic transducer modules.
 20. The ultrasonictransducer array of claim 9, wherein the ultrasonic transducer elementsof the array of the at least one additional ultrasonic transducer moduleoperate at a lower frequency than the ultrasonic transducer elements ofthe array of one of the at least two of the two or more ultrasonictransducer modules, and wherein the ultrasonic transducer elements ofthe array of the one of the at least two of the two or more ultrasonictransducer modules operate at a lower frequency than the ultrasonictransducer elements of the array of another one of the at least two ofthe two or more ultrasonic transducer modules.